Ron, Funny ... the "coffee" is a light leak under the scanner. I drew the original wallpaper patterns paper bags while I was at a show in South Carolina. The bags are lumpy and didn't scan perfectly.

Incidentally, I later transferred the enlargements onto mylar because the paper was only good for one outline before it deteriorated and tore from the moisture in the clay.

The guideline grooves were the last thing cut into the frames. I cut them with my radial arm saw set to a height that wouldn't cut all the way through the frame. The convenient thing was that an eight-sided frame made the cuts parallel and therefore easy to line up.

The slab does look thick, doesn't it? I'm not sure what creates that illusion. In reality, it's a smidge over .25". If I start producing these, I'll probably shoot for .25". This time around I rolled the slab and then stretched it by throwing it back down on the bed of the slab roller. So I wasn't very exact in measuring this time around. The plates are a little heavy.

I used a sureform on the damp-but-stiff plates to bevel the edges. Then I used scotchbrite pads to remove the sharp edges.